U.S. beats France 2-1, stays unbeaten at Hopman Cup

PERTH, Australia -- The United States rallied past France 2-1 Tuesday, with John Isner and Venus Williams capturing the decisive mixed doubles to win a second straight series at the Hopman Cup.

France won the opening singles when Jo-Wilfried Tsonga overwhelmed Isner 6-3, 6-2. Williams then tied it after trailing by a set and 4-1 to defeat Mathilde Johansson 3-6, 7-5, 6-4.

- At Brisbane, Australia, Serena Williams carried her relentless form into the New Year with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Alize Cornet at the Brisbane International, where Maria Sharapova withdrew and two other highly ranked players went out in the second round.

After the unexpected exits of No. 2 Sharapova, who pulled out with an injured right collarbone, and 2011 champion Petra Kvitova, the third-ranked Williams needed only an hour to beat the No. 44-ranked Cornet -- unleashing one of her fastest ever serves (124 mph) -- in the night match.

- At Shenzen, China, top-seeded Li Na opened her Shenzhen Open campaign with a 6-4, 6-0 victory over Mandy Minella of Luxembourg.

- At Doha, Qatar, top-seeded David Ferrer rallied to defeat German qualifier Dustin Brown 5-7, 6-3, 6-2 in the opening round of the Qatar Open.

- At Auckland, New Zealand, world No. 4 Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland swept past former champion Greta Arn 6-2, 6-2 to reach the second round of the ASB Classic.